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Post photographer Michael Williamson is traveling across the country covering the economic situation.

About This Blog

Half A Tank is a summer-long quest to find images and stories of people whose lives have been altered by a flattened economy. Starting from home in the D.C. suburbs, Theresa Vargas and Michael Williamson are traveling around the country to experience how people are coping, struggling, even flourishing as we all reconsider how we live. Please share your reactions and experiences in the comment sections that follow each post.

Theresa Vargas is a native of San Antonio who, until now, has had only two
memorable road trips: Hitchhiking through South America and riding in the
back of a pick-up truck from California to Texas at the peak of summer. She came to The Post in 2006, where she has covered crime and
education. She lives in Virginia.

Michael Williamson is a Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer. He was born in Washington, D.C. and lived in 37 other places before coming back to work at The Washington Post in 1993.

Half a Tank: Along Recession Road: July 19, 2009 - July 25, 2009

We were driving along I-35 in Texas when we saw two people who looked as if they could use a ride. Photo by Michael Williamson/The Washington Post ON I-35 NEAR COVINGTON, Texas -- Michael and I passed a Suzuki...

Ann Sonnek is at the wheel of the family's minivan as her daughter, Abby, and dog, Rosie, get comfortable in the backseat. Photo by Michael Williamson/The Washington Post ALONG ROUTE 66 IN OKLAHOMA -- In a champagne-colored minivan with...

Locals and out-of-towners come together at POPS, a Route 66 attraction known for the variety of soda pop it offers. Photo by Michael Williamson/The Washington Post ARCADIA, Okla.--Alana Hataway is a planner. And so, it wasn’t on a whim...

Shannon Williams and her seven-year-old daughter Megan look for diamonds in the dirt. Photo by Michael Williamson/The Washington Post MUFREESBORO, Ark.--You can tell you’re getting close when you come to the Diamond Bank, which is near the Diamond State...

Michael and me walking down a street in West Virginia late one night. Photo by Michael Williamson/The Washington Post It hit us the other day. In all the miles we have traveled, no one has refused to talk to...

A sheriff's cruiser patrols the streets of Celebration, Florida. Photo by Michael Williamson/The Washington Post When Michael and I were in Florida, we didn’t head straight to Orlando’s streets to talk to the homeless. First, we stopped in a...

A truck in Sallisaw bears a 1931 Oklahoma license plate, alluding to the Dust Bowl migration. Photo by Michael Williamson/The Washington Post SALLISAW, Okla--The only indication that Michael and I were in the hometown of the Joads – the...